Political parties sign code of conduct

POLITICAL parties will sign a code of conduct following the proclamation of the 2014 National and Provincial General Elections being published in the Government Gazette on 25 February 2014. The ceremony will take place at 3 March 2014 at Inkosi Albert Luthuli, International Convention Centre (ICC) at 10am.

The proclamation in the government gazette means that the voters roll for the upcoming election is effectively closed.

At close of the voters’ roll KwaZulu-Natal had more than 5.1 million registered voters. The electoral Commission is now concentrating on delivering the 7 May 2014 election.

With the proclamation of the election, the Electoral Code of Conduct comes into effect and has implications for political parties. The code of conduct as per the Electoral Act requires all registered parties to commit themselves and their members to the code in public. The code is legally binding to the leaders, members, candidates and supporters of political parties.

A free and peaceful political space is necessary for any democratic elections. For the elections to happen in a free and fair environment, the Commission considers it necessary to publicly commit all registered political parties, ahead of the general election, to sign a pledge to abide by the Electoral Code of Conduct. By signing the pledge, political parties commit themselves to a peaceful, free and fair election, where political party campaigning is peaceful and violence-free. This will also ensure a peaceful environment in communities where political parties will be campaigning for votes.

The Commission will partner with State Security entities, including the Provincial Multiparty Task Team co-chaired by the MEC of Safety and Security, Mr Willies Mchunu, and the Provincial Electoral Officer, Mr Mawethu Mosery, to enforce the code and maintain a peaceful environment during elections.

Political parties will be represented by their provincial leaders at the event. Religious leaders, FBOs, NGOs and Amakhosi have also been invited to witness political parties pledging their commitment to the Electoral Code of Conduct.